Spyder Active SportsPushing the limits of high performance

A ONENECK® IT SOluTIONS CASE STuDY

PMS 2757C

C100, M82, Y8, K32 C91, M53, Y0, K0 C48, M36, Y24, K66

Fonts:

Brandmark: Lines ofBusiness:

Colors:

PMS 660C PMS COOL GREY 11C

CLOUD & HOSTING SOLUTIONS

ERP MANAGEMENT

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

IT HARDWARE

MANAGED SERVICES

BRYANT MEDIUMMyriad Pro

Amelia

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IT SOLUTIONS a TDS® Company

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The CompanySpyder Active Sports is the largest ski-specialty brand in the world. The company is renowned for integrating high-tech fabrics, fashion and functionality, taking pride in its relentless commitment to creating the ultimate performance experience for athletes by focusing on every detail in engineering superior ski wear.

Founded in 1978, Spyder revolutionized ski racing with the introduction of the first padded slalom sweater designed “for racing, by racers.” Today, Spyder products are the choice of many serious skiers and teams including the U.S. Ski Team and Alpine Canada. Rigorously tested by top athletes around the world, Spyder products range from casual sport-lifestyle clothing to outerwear for any outdoor pursuit. Numerous products from the company’s ski apparel line have been showcased on many Olympic podiums, accessorized by Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals.

With global headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, Spyder sells products to more than 550 high-quality, specialty retailers in the United States and Canada. Spyder products are sold outside North America into 50 countries through the company’s Spyder-Europe office and through independent distributors around the globe.

“OneNeck® IT Solutions’ relationship with its customers is a two-way partnership — words in action. I also liked the fact that OneNeck IT Solutions has grown its business organically, that they have never lost a customer due to poor performance and that they are highly reference-able.”

Kevin SmithInformation Systems Director, Spyder Active Sports

The ChallengeWhen a company offers to pay its IT provider more money in return for more services, and the provider not only refuses the offer but its service levels continue to decline, it’s time to look for a new provider. That’s precisely what happened to Spyder’s Information Systems Director, Kevin Smith. Spyder’s IT provider had been purchased for a second time and already declining service levels hit rock bottom when Spyder’s headquarters office in Boulder experienced an IT outage that shut down operations for four full days. To make matters worse, this outage occurred during one of the busiest times of the year for Spyder: its shipment of apparel to more than 550 retailers throughout North America during their peak period which begins in July and lasts through December.

As a result of an improper back-up system, Spyder lost nine days’ worth of critical shipment data. Since invoices to customers were lost and unable to be retrieved, they had to be recalculated and manually prepared. At the same time, the company was unable to electronically generate orders to its retailers.

But wait, there’s more. Spyder’s outsourcing provider had been experiencing turnover problems given its second acquisition. So, Smith and his internal IT team had to rely on a small and dwindling IT staff to resurrect the system. “Those were some of the worst days of my career, when the system was down,” remembers Smith. “And I wasn’t confident in the outcome.”

Once bitten, twice shy, so the saying goes. And that’s how Smith described his level of distrust and lack of confidence when he set out to hire another IT provider. In evaluating potential vendors, Smith identified three cornerstone requirements: First, he was seeking a partner with a proven track record that could guarantee reliability and performance. Second, the new company would have to answer an important question: How do you intend to support Spyder’s business continuity? For Smith, that meant being proactive and possessing expertise in disaster recovery standard procedures. Finally, the new provider would be expected to operate as a partner with Spyder — an extension of its business — and possess a similar culture in terms of size and growth.

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It came down to three potential vendors — a tough choice according to Smith. He said cost wasn’t an issue since all vendors offered similar pricing. However, a number of factors led Smith to select OneNeck IT Solutions. Among them, he explained, were the OneNeck IT Solutions team’s “undeniable technical expertise,” and “genuine interest in forming a partnership.”

Further, the OneNeck IT Solutions team was open to two-way communications. Smith experienced this first-hand when he was invited (prior to becoming a customer) to the OneNeck IT Solutions Executive Forum. OneNeck IT Solutions hosts the annual event to bring customers together to share the state of the company and update them on industry best practices. In addition, attendees share ideas and candidly discuss OneNeck IT Solutions’ performance. While attending the Executive Forum, Smith observed that OneNeck IT Solutions executives were asking their customers for input on how to improve performance. OneNeck IT Solutions also provided its entire customer list to Smith and he started talking to customers with similar businesses. “Ultimately, it was the customer references that sold me,” remembers Smith.

The OneNeck IT Solutions AnswerWith OneNeck IT Solutions as Spyder’s official IT partner, attention turned to the transition from the previous application service provider. It had to be as seamless as possible for Spyder’s worldwide user base. To ensure the transition would go smoothly, Spyder began sending tapes, which contained system data, to OneNeck IT Solutions for testing eight weeks in advance of the go-live date.

The process was tedious, and there was no innovation on the part of Spyder’s previous ASP, according to Smith, affording him little confidence that the complete transfer of all files would be successful. With that, members of the Spyder/OneNeck IT Solutions team decided to drive to the prior ASP’s data center to physically pick up a hard drive with the necessary data and boarded a plane to OneNeck IT Solutions’ Arizona data center.

The layers of testing leading up to the ASP transfer, as well as the in-person, hand delivery of critical data, paid off when the new system was up and running on schedule in mid-February 2006.

It also set the stage for a collaborative partnership between Spyder and OneNeck IT Solutions.

Soon after the cutover, OneNeck IT Solutions focused on stabilizing and securing all systems. Smith credits OneNeck IT Solutions for securing Spyder’s global network. “We have more secure access across the board and tightened access to data no matter where you are located,” said Smith, referring to the Boulder office and Spyder-Europe in Switzerland, as well as warehouses in Bangkok and throughout Canada, where a secure gateway to hosted applications now exists. Added Smith, “When it comes to security, OneNeck IT Solutions has taken a proactive approach.”

OneNeck IT Solutions and Spyder have worked closely to improve processes, explained Smith. OneNeck IT Solutions has implemented a formal change-control process in keeping with Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance. While Spyder is a privately-held company, OneNeck IT Solutions believes in demonstrating Sarbanes-Oxley compliance for all its customers as a sign of financial soundness and honesty in reporting. “It’s something we’ve needed to do all along,” said Smith of instituting a change-control process. “Diligence on the part of OneNeck IT Solutions forced us to structure and write the protocols.”

The BenefitsThrough application expertise, technical savvy, regular communication and proactive systems improvement, OneNeck IT Solutions has provided Spyder with more than operations excellence; they’ve given them peace of mind. Smith describes the relationship as a “partnership where people are technically competent and able and willing to provide outstanding service.”

In fact, when a member of the Spyder IT support team at OneNeck IT Solutions transitioned into another role, she continued to work with Spyder on unfinished projects. “There’s continuity in hand-over support staff when someone transitions,” said Smith. “People see their projects through.”

In addition, OneNeck IT Solutions ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) philosophy — based on industry leading best practices — has provided Spyder with a framework from which to enhance its IT infrastructure, a critical component to running a high performance company. And when it comes to high performance, Spyder has built its reputation on it.

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About OneNeck IT SolutionsOneNeck IT Solutions offers a full suite of cloud and hosting solu-tions, managed services, ERP management, professional services, IT hardware and top tier data centers. OneNeck is a high-perfor-mance, integrity-filled team of technology professionals managing secure, world-class IT infrastructure and applications. The goal of OneNeck is to help customers adapt to changing technologies and thrive during the deployment of new, enhanced IT solutions.

OneNeck delivers solutions that are built on high availability infra-structure, supported by exceptional customer service and backed by the financial strength of Telephone and Data Systems™, a Fortune 500® company. This combination allows OneNeck to offer a comprehensive solution based on proven products and services to meet the strategic and tactical needs of the most demanding mid-market and enterprise companies across the country.

Highly certified engineers, strategic partnerships with global tech-nology leaders and world-class infrastructure uniquely position OneNeck IT Solutions to deliver tailored end-to-end solutions for your business.

PMS 2757C

C100, M82, Y8, K32 C91, M53, Y0, K0 C48, M36, Y24, K66

Fonts:

Brandmark: Lines ofBusiness:

Colors:

PMS 660C PMS COOL GREY 11C

CLOUD & HOSTING SOLUTIONS

ERP MANAGEMENT

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

IT HARDWARE

MANAGED SERVICES

BRYANT MEDIUMMyriad Pro

Amelia

®

IT SOLUTIONS a TDS® Company

®

®

®

®

®

Call 855.ONENECK | Visit www.OneNeck.com Part #3.1JDE_CSSAS_1213_v1

©2014 OneNeck IT Solutions LLC. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Organization Spyder Active Sports

Industry High Performance Ski Apparel

Business Spyder was in an unsatisfactory Challenges relationship with its previous vendor. This vendor was unresponsive to Spyder’s business needs and lacked customer intimacy. Spyder was looking for a new partner who would support the company’s business continuity requirements and emphasized high quality customer focus with strong references.

User Environment 125 Users 5 Locations Worldwide

Application JDE EnterpriseOne ERP Environment Symantec Virus Protection Business Intelligence/Reporting Tools

Technical 13 Windows Servers Environment SQL Server 2000 Citrix ICS rfsmart Wireless Data Collection

Spyder Active Sports Summary